Page 53 of Mase
Reed takes notice when I mention his brother and sits up. “You’d give him a chance? A job?”
I shrug. “Sure. You said he’s doing better.”
The guy has had addiction problems for a long time, then he made a huge mistake that landed him in prison, but the guy has been through hell to prove himself. He just needs the chance. Maybe this could be it.
Reed stares back at me with a look of awe on his face. His Adam’s apple slides down his throat before he clears it. “Thank you, man. That means a lot.” I give him a firm nod.
“We need a couple of other guys. They need to be trustworthy,” Shaw tacks on.
Reed nods. “I’m sure Owen knows someone.”
“There’s Todd too. Tate has been desperate to help him along,” I add, referring to Tate’s brother-in-law. Tate’s wife, Ava, and her brother grew up in foster care. Tate didn’t know it at the time, but when he had a one-night stand with her, she was actually in the care of his parents at a summer event they host forfoster kids. I can’t imagine how he felt knowing he slept with one of them. It wasn’t until she became an intern at our company that they became reacquainted. Tate spent years pining after her—so much so, he tattooed his cock with her name.
“Well, I think it’s a great idea. When you come home, why not arrange for Trav to come out and we can discuss it more?” Shaw suggests.
Hope sparks in Trav’s eyes, and I smile back at him broadly; his excitement is contagious. “I’m going to see where Summer is,” he announces, then heads inside with a broad smile on his face, and I imagine he’s about to fill her in on my plan for his future.
Bubbles waddles past us toward the house, her tongue hanging precariously close to the floor, and Shaw turns to face Reed. “What’s wrong with the dog exactly?” His tone is etched in concern.
“Bubbles is dying.” Reed sighs.
Shaw pouts. “That’s kind of sad. Eleanor will be devastated.”
Reed rolls his eyes at Shaw’s words. “The vet said she’s exhausted and struggling to keep up.” He sighs. “That’s why her tongue is hanging out all the time.”
I snort. “That and the shit Eleanor feeds her.”
Shaw throws me a death glare. “I spoke to her about that. She hasn’t done it since the day she pushed her down the slide.”
“Dude, she was feeding her fucking fish from Oscar O’Connell’s aquarium.” I laugh as I remember the day Shaw was dragged along to a Mafia family function at the O’Connell’s estate and Eleanor was caught feeding Oscar’s fish to the dog. Turns out, Oscar loves those fish as much as his own kid. It almost ended in a bloodbath. Again.
“If we weren’t stuck with the damn thing for weeks, we wouldn’t have had to take her with us. It’s like we haveshared custody of the dog, but nobody bothered to ask if I wanted it in the first place.” He moans like a petulant child.
“Well, excuse me for having to recover from being shot,” Reed grumbles. “I was at death’s fucking door.”
“Pfft. I’ve been shot numerous times, and I don’t take so long to recover,” Shaw fires back, and Reed opens his mouth to respond. “Let me guess, you’re allergic to bullets too, huh?” Shaw states. We all know how many allergies Reed claims to have.
Trav makes his way toward us, and Reed’s eyebrows furrow. “Why the hell does he look like he wants to eat me?”
I take another drink of my beer and smile, refraining from saying,He probably does.
“Summer ordered pizzas,” Trav declares, and his eyes drift over Reed before he drops down beside me.
“Hell yes. Summer’s pussy is getting licked real good tonight.” I smile, and everyone falls silent, making me acutely aware that I said my thoughts aloud.
Reed sits up to face me. “Holy shit. You’re actually starting to live.”
“Because I eat pussy?”
“Exactly.” Reed points his beer bottle in my direction, but in a weird way, it makes sense. For years, I sat on the sidelines, wishing I could participate in my friends’ banter, their worldly experiences. But I was trapped in a loveless, sexless marriage I was struggling to navigate, determined to conform. I never want that again.
“Is thirsty Thursday back on?” Shaw’s eyes gleam with intrigue, referring to a bet my friends had about who could get the most blowjobs every Thursday in a row. “We can call it thirsty Thursday remastered,” he jokes.
“I’m sure Tate will be thrilled to participate in a game that involves his sister sucking cock,” Reed deadpans, referring to the fact that Tate and Owen’s sister Laya are married.
“You know. This shit with Summer has made me realizesomething.” I sit forward, and the guys hang off my every word. “There’s no way in hell I’m ever getting married again,” I breathe out with a heavy exhale.
A whimpering sound has my attention drawn to the side, and my stomach twists when Summer’s devastated face comes into view. She clears her throat and wrings her hands in front of her. “I’m sorry to bother you, but the pizza has arrived.” Then she turns and walks away, leaving the memory of her devastation etched in my brain.
